Teaching a Queen
by MisterReaper
Summary: After the defeat of the King of Evil, Zelda remains bored without the company of her young hero Link. Little does she know that he would be teaching her other perfected hobbies of his, and that there's many things that a Queen can't do alone!
1. Chapter 1

Another slow evening rolled in, casting vivid colors of orange and red in the sky and painting various goods and wares in the town square of Hyrule. While the cobblestone streets were usually seen filled with many different townsfolk and merchants daily, this one particular day seemed to drag on for an eternity it seemed.

No bells were ringing outside the giant performance tent in which certain citizens were assigned "impossible" stunts and tasks for prizes, no cats and dogs were parading the streets, begging for scraps and affection, and certainly no little girl in clothes made of fine high quality silks and jewels was seen searching for glistening bugs among the bushes.

This was all rather dull and lifeless day for a Princess…or rather-Queen, herself would have to witness on many other evenings besides this one. Peering out elegantly in a daze from a glass stained window from many blocks away, was Queen Zelda, with a gloved arm placed gently against her cheek, and elbow resting on the window pane.

It had been several days since she had last seen the young man clothed in green. A man with not much to say but rather a lot to express with kindness and small smiles. This young man held the amazing strength of a swordsman and an excellent archer and of course his many other talents and perfections were instantly noticed and praised by the Queen herself. Although after he had saved the kingdom from further peril and darkness from the King of Evil and Zant, it was saddening to rarely see him about the kingdom on a regular basis.

"What could he be possibly be doing on days so glum?" She whispered to herself, letting out an inaudible sigh and continuing to gaze out from beyond the massive view.

Zelda's thoughts were at a stop the minute the pounding on the door shook her into reality.

With a small voice, she calls out, "You needed me?" turning away from the window while doing so and adjusting the golden linked belt that was embedded to her dress.

"It appears you have a visitor, granted that he may have your permission to enter?"

Zelda's eyes widened and a delicate smile pressed upon her lips. It couldn't possibly be HIM now, could it?

"Yes, certainly." She answered back with as much poise as possible.

With her hands clasped together resting at the base of her tapestry that trailed between the dress, she waited patiently for the tall wooden door to creak open to reveal her long awaited guest.

With a clank, the door slowly moaned to the right, revealing the young hero that she had endless thoughts about for the past week.

Her ears stiffened and began to turn a shade of deeper pink. He appeared to be just as nervous as she.

"Link…"

A smile appeared onto his face, as he continued to walk in through the door, rustling the long green cap that adorned his dusty blonde hair.

Without any words at all, Zelda knew that he had been there to ask for a favor or perhaps maybe for a casual evening of tea together.

With an unsure chuckle, Link dug deep into his vast pockets (which always seemed to be able to carry numerous and absurdly huge objects of many sorts), and pulled out a bottle filled with a deep orange-like substance.

Zelda peered at the bottle, nearly speechless from how unusual it was to be carrying something like that around. She was still unsure of what it was to begin with.

"If…I may ask, what is it that bottle of yours contains?"

Link's mouth parted open to speak, but remained shut once he placed a gloved hand onto the cork and popped it off with ease. Strolling closer to Zelda with his other hand grasping the bottle so tightly, he awkwardly shifts the container to her nose, his own way of telling her to 'smell' it.

"I-I guess a small wiff couldn't hurt…" she said after moments of silently questioning the bottle's appearance in front of her, and Link's pleading blue eyes.

A deep and gentle sniff was heard, along with the slight twitching of the long ears she had. The aroma of fish…pumpkin…and perhaps maybe fancy spices of some sort, came to her pointed nose pleasantly.

"Is this…some kind of soup?"

A quiet shake of his head up and down along with a widening smile.

"And it's for…me?"

Nothing else but a satisfied grunt, and he continued to slightly shake and tip the bottle towards the Queen again, as if begging or ENTICING her to take a few scoops or samples.

"Alright…I'll try it. But please, accompany me and we may have this soup together, if it isn't too much trouble to ask."

Link's eyes seemed to have lit up at that moment, for his eyes widened at a casual royal invitation from the beautiful Queen Zelda he admired so much. With swift movements, he closed the door to the chambers shut, and looked over his shoulder to check visually for pots or dishes to serve the soup in.

"Hmm…so I assume this is why you haven't paid a visit to me lately?" Zelda's voice rang out that sent Link into an awkward jolt of surprise.

He turned to her slowly to see her setting up small placements of expensive looking silverware along the small table area she had in the center of her room. Two stools with velvet plush were placed neatly on top, with dangling tear drop jewels just below the cushions' bottom hem.

"You may have a seat, don't be shy." She said to him with such a charming smile, signaling long fingers towards the fancy stool.

With the bottle still shakily in his hand, he sat down at which Zelda had pointed to cautiously, and placed it with a ungraceful THONK in the center of the tablecloth, breaking the gentle silence and clinking of the two soup bowls Zelda had softly placed before him.

Zelda chuckled at the sight of him trying to be just as poise as she. Both of their mannerisms were indeed different, but both of them had hearts and minds just as pure and sweet.

Taking the bottle away with a snatch, the soup poured in with neat trickles into the fancy trays. But it seemed as if Link wanted to say something during the serving, for his hand was slowly rising up beside him, curled into a hesitant state to signal "wait".

"Oh…is it because you would like MORE in your dish, Link?"

Beyond embarrassed that his message couldn't get across the kind Queen, Link looked down and shook his head, his face reddening a bit at such a silly question.

"…Cold." Were the words he could manage to mutter to her without eye contact.

He…he spoke! Even though it was something so short as the word "cold", this meant that Link was probably silent not because he was "condescending" as described by other townsfolk who tried to converse with the young man, but because he had a hard time finding the right words to say. He was…shy.


	2. Chapter 2

"…Oh!" Zelda said to herself to refrain herself from thinking anymore about the young man's mannerisms. Although she did wish she could hear him speak more frequently.

"I'll be taking this then…" and with that, Zelda began to light the stone-faced fireplace to the right of her room with her own magic.

As the soup came to a boil once more, Link's smile was back, along with his shivering hands (from being so nervous) clasped together in excitement. He was absolutely famished after such a tiresome journey.

"Now to finally dine, yes?"

Link grunts to her with acknowledgement, taking small glimpses of Zelda's definite features that seemed so concentrated on her meal.

She's absolutely…beautiful. He thought to himself, pausing to take another long glance with a soup-filled spoon in his right hand.

But Zelda felt his eyes peering into her, and lifts her head up to meet his.

"Is there something wrong, Link?"

"…"

"I'm sorry if I seem so silent…I just tend to eat first then speak later." She said to him with such a charming chuckle, fitting for such a royal beauty like her.

Her spoon was placed into her bowl again, to simply reach for a napkin to dap at her small shapely lips. Link's eyes continued to follow her.

"Hmm…"

"…I'm sorry? What was that?"

No response was given to the curious Queen, but a stiff and quick movement of Link's gloved hands, worn in deep from many gruesome battles. They clasped roughly around the Queen's at such an un-expectant manor.

"Ah…!"

"…cold."

"…I'm…cold?"

"…Yeah."

"Oh…I…"

He continued to rub the tips of his fingers against her gloved ones, simply playing with the long slender shapes she had. His own hands seemed that of much more sturdiness and of much bigger size.

She couldn't speak at all, only watch as Link continued to caress her frigid tips, despite herself wearing those long royal gloves of hers.

Her eyes began to waver at the sight of the handsome young man inventively touching her fingers.

"I guess…ever since I was a child, I was sensitive to the cold. I was told that I would be a frail and sickly Princess that needed proper tending and care…just like a garden flower."

Link paused for a moment to peer up at Zelda's eyes, now emitting reminiscing memories of her childhood. He ached to listen for more.

"Of course…I didn't want to be a weak Princess for this kingdom. I wanted to become someone to take care of my people…not to be taken care of every minute I wake."

His hands pulled away and were now placed on top of her left palm that needed more warmth it seemed.

"I trained myself to fight the numbing cold that crept into my room every night. Although I got sick many times…eventually…my body was able to protect itself."

Moments of silence passed, until Link finally whispers to her unsurely, "…so you overcame it?"

"Ah…yes…I did. I made sure that my people would never see me sick again."

"…that makes you very strong."

With a jolt, Zelda's posture straightened out from her relaxed composition to listen to Link, finally speaking to her. PRAISING her even. The bearer of the Triforce of Courage…was calling HER strong.

"Link…" her voice nearly shaky from the chilly room around her, or could it have been Link's subtle yet kind effective words?

Zelda gave him a kind and reassuring smile, one that he had wanted to see again since their last meeting, which was dreadful and stressful. But in the end, this was their fate: to meet again, and quietly re-establish a charming companionship.

"…I want to teach you something, actually."

"Teach…ME?"

"You liked that soup, yes?"

Zelda was very unsure with where he was going with this conversation, but went along with it and nodded.

"Hehe…fishing."

"You want to teach me how to fish?"

With an encouraging smile, Link's teeth showed no sign of hiding his enthusiasm to teach the Queen how to fish.

"I'm pretty sure I know the basics to that…but, I would certainly love to have you as my company again."

After sharing a short yet empowering story and delicate meal, Link swore to Zelda that he would meet her again the next evening to take her on her first lesson to catch her very own meal.


End file.
